The future of the Italian left is at the head of the party

Schlein, who was elected with 53.8% of the vote, intends to correct the image of the left, which has deteriorated after the rise to power of the far-right Mussolini Giorgia Meloni.

The Democratic Party lost to Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia) party in September’s general election, and cannot hold out against the growing extreme right.

The Democratic Party continues to lose momentum in the Rome and Lombardy regions.

THERE IS CITIZENSHIP OF THREE COUNTRIES

Elly Schlein’s profile is unorthodox. Born in Lugano, Switzerland in 1985 to an Italian mother and a Ukrainian-American father, Elly Schlein holds Italian, Swiss, and American citizenship.

A law student at the University of Bologna, Elly Schlein volunteered for two of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns in the United States. Schlein is known for being cultured, a lover of movies and music, and a fan of indie rock.

Schlein then returned to his party, which he left in 2015 disillusioned with the party’s leadership under then-leader and former prime minister Matteo Renzi.

A former MEP, Schlein rose to fame in 2020 after his small party, Coraggiosa, played a key role in preventing the far-right from taking power in the traditionally left-wing Emilia-Romagna region.

IT WAS THE AGENDA WITH THE WORDS HE SAID ON TELEVISION

Subsequently, Schlein was appointed vice president of the Emilia-Romagna region. President Stefano Bonaccini, his primary opponent, urged him to take responsibility for addressing inequality, extension and ecological transformation.

The statements of the 37-year-old politician became the agenda.

Schlein’s rise has been impressive. He gave television interviews and drew a lot of attention when he said on a national talk show, “I’ve had a lot of relationships in the past. I have loved many men, I have loved many women. I am currently with a girl and I am happy. As long as she can stand me!”

While Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni makes alarming comments about LGBT and women’s rights, Elly Schlein does not hesitate to speak out against the far right.

What Schlein said last week was also surprising: “I am a woman. I love another woman and I am not a mother, but therefore I am no less a woman. We are not living wombs, we are people with rights!”

Delivering a message of hope after his election as party chairman, Schlein said: “The Democratic Party is alive and ready to rise up,” and said his party would become a “threat” to the government led by Giorgia Meloni.

The victory of the young deputy was a surprise, since the polls predicted a great victory for Stefano Bonaccini. However, in his speech to the delegates, Bonaccini said: “The first thing I ask of you is to applaud Elly Schlein. Elly won and I’m ready to help her.”

Prime Minister Meloni also congratulated Elly Schlein, saying: “I hope the election of a young woman as leader of the Democratic Party helps the left to look forward and not back.”